According to a post by The Canadian Press on The Sault Star news site, Ontario is investing $1.4 million to expand defibrillator training for high-school students to enhance CPR and other on-the-spot treatment for cardiac arrest. The program will help the Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation train teachers to instruct students in the use of an automated external defibrillator and help support placement of the devices in high schools across the province.

The Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation launched a pilot project like this one in 2007 in several Canadian high schools to train students how to use defibrillators in the event of a cardiac emergency. In the United States, similar training programs have popped up, allowing for students to be able to use defibrillation techniques.

According to the article, each year, up to 40,000 Canadians suffer sudden cardiac arrest, resulting in ab estimated 30,000 Canadians deaths from sudden cardiac arrest each year. In the United States, the American Heart Association reports that in 2007 over 450,000 victims died from a coronary attack.

With numbers like these, it comes as no surprise that schools, offices, and public buildings are installing automatic external defibrillators at a growing rate. Companies like Burdick, Medtronic, Zoll, and Philips are some of the leading providers, offering people of all types and experience levels the chance to save a life in the event of an emergency.

Is your school prepared? Consider outfitting your building with an AED Defibrillator from PhysiciansResource.Net before students return from the holidays. Start an AED training program to show students and staff what to do in the event of a cardiac emergency. This training could prove to be the difference between life and death in a time of crisis.